White House

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a simple message to anyone who thinks she crossed a line by calling southern border detention centers concentration camps -- Merriam-Webster's got my back.

AOC kicked up a firestorm Tuesday when she said, "The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border" ... while discussing the controversial detention centers for illegal immigrants. She'd heard the backlash all day -- from people like Liz Cheney -- by the time we spoke to AOC Tuesday night as she was leaving Capitol Hill.

The freshman Congresswoman was undeterred and fired back at Mrs. Cheney, in particular. She went on to defend her words ... saying, "The academic definition is targeting a community and putting them in detention camps without a trial and that's what the government is doing."

That definition isn't quelling the controversy. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fielded questions about it Wednesday morning, and cautioned AOC and all Democrats to beware of enemies trying to exploit their words.

Of course, the criticism of AOC's remark is that it was incredibly insensitive, and dismissive of the fact 6 million Jewish people were killed in concentration camps.

Kim Kardashian West's recent announcement at The White House was only the start of a massive undertaking ... of which almost 5,000 inmates will be able to reap the benefits from.

Sources with knowledge of Kim's partnership with rideshare giant Lyft tell us the company has committed services to get up to 5k soon-to-be released inmates to job interviews. We're told the biggest group of prisoners who have been granted release will get out of prison July 19.

Our sources say Kim -- in a partnership with #Cut50 -- has worked tirelessly on both federal and local levels to ensure inmates will be provided housing and employment opportunities. We're told there's also a long-term plan in place to make sure those released from prison will continue to get opportunities for years to come.

Kim has visited prisons across the country -- recently spending time on death row -- getting to know prisoners, their cases and possible injustices.

As we reported, Kim was at The White House Thursday with President Trump to announce her new partnership with Lyft.

Kardashian has been at the forefront of prison reform, lending her voice to help free those locked up for life for nonviolent crimes ... at one point, she helped to quietly free 17 inmates in 90 days.

President Trump doesn't like having his train of thought interrupted, which he made very clear Sunday by demanding a redo when somebody coughed in the middle of his interview.

45 was chatting it up with ABC's George Stephanopoulos in The White House, discussing everything from the Mueller report to his still-unreleased tax records -- and as he was explaining the latter ... someone off-camera let out a heavy cough that threw DT off.

He stopped mid-sentence and asked George if they could run his answer back, 'cause he didn't appreciate the interruption. Trump said quite bluntly, "Let's do that over, he's coughing in the middle of my answer," going on to add, "I don't like that, you know?"

George seemed to indicate that the culprit was Trump's Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, but it's unclear if it was in fact him. Whoever it was ... Trump definitely wasn't very nice in telling them to shut the hell up. In fact, he instructed them to leave the room.

"You just can't, you just can't cough," Trump told the cougher.

George and the ABC team reset and the Prez finished his tangent about his "fantastic financial statement." What's funny is that the gaffe made it to air during Sunday's broadcast.

Kim Kardashian definitely earned her title as Princess of Prison Reform ... using her celebrity status for good has yielded nothing but positive results, so says one of her freed prisoners.

The first prisoner released under the First Step Act -- Matthew Charles -- showered Kim with praise when we ran into him on Capitol Hill. As we reported, Kim not only helped secure his release ... she's covered the next 5 years of rent while he gets back on his feet.

Kim was front and center at The White House Thursday to unveil her latest prison reform initiative -- a rideshare partnership that allows inmates to travel to job interviews. The end game is to make them productive citizens rather than recidivists.

Kim's been a big help by writing checks so various lawyers and prison reform groups can do their thing ... and they have done their thing with success, recently freeing more than 17 inmates and counting. These are mostly inmates who are serving long terms for non-violent -- mostly drug -- offenses.

Sean Spicer has ZERO doubt his successor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, will land on her feet just fine after she leaves The White House ... and maybe one day end up on a ballot somewhere.

President Trump's first Press Secretary tells TMZ ... Sarah, who replaced Sean in July 2017, won't find the world out there as scary as many might think. In fact, Sean's adamant Sarah has a throng of supporters even in this political climate.

Check out the clip ... Sean, who wrote a book after leaving his post, says public service is in Sarah's DNA. But, Sarah -- just like Sean -- had a rough going as Trump's mouthpiece during her 2-year run. She'll leave at the end of the month and said she hopes she'll be remembered for her transparency and honesty.

That's ironic, because -- according to the Mueller Report -- she was forced under oath to admit she made up nonsense. The Special Counsel said Sarah straight-up lied when she said she heard from "countless members of the FBI" supporting Trump's removal of James Comey.

As for Sanders running for public office, Spicer says bank on it ... echoing President Trump, who encouraged her to run for Governor in Arkansas, her home state.

2:12 PM PT -- The press conference just ended and Kim made a major announcement … she’s involved in a rideshare partnership to give former inmates free rides to job interviews.

Kim says after spending time visiting prisons all over the country and talking with inmates on the inside and those who were recently released, one of their biggest hurdles is finding ways to get to job interviews and to work.

Meanwhile, the Prez announced a series of initiatives by the federal government and employers to help former inmates find work when they get back to their communities.

Kim Kardashian is back at the White House to talk prison reform, but this time she'll be making a speech alongside President Trump ... and TMZ is streaming it live.

Kim and the Prez are talking about the first prisoners released under the recently passed First Step Act ... and Trump is also expected to discuss hiring people with criminal records.

As you know, Kim and her legal team have been working diligently to free nonviolent prisoners who are spending life in prison for small drug crimes under Draconian sentences ... helping dozens of men and women gain their freedom.

Kim went to 1600 Penn. last year in the name of prison reform ... sitting down with POTUS in the Oval Office ... and now we're going to learn more about the fruits of their labor.

Their news conference is set to begin at 1 PM PT, and we'll have it all here.

President Trump's camp wants him to know how much he's loved on his most special day of the year ... so they're asking MAGA country to type in their names ASAP.

An email got sent Wednesday to subscribers of the Trump-Pence campaign, and it's begging for folks to be one of the first to sign a "HUGE" birthday card that his team will bestow on him come June 14 ... the Prez's 73rd birthday. They're looking for 2 million signatures.

The email reads, "Our goal is to get 2 MILLION signatures to let President Trump know how thankful we are for his incredible leadership in our shared mission to Make America Great Again." It goes on, "We sent President Trump a card last year, and he loved reading all of the encouraging messages from Patriotic Americans across the country."

The campaign doesn't specify if they're planning on printing a jumbo-sized birthday card with a scroll of autographs attached -- it'd have to be pretty damn big if that was the case -- or if they're just gonna DM him the collective well-wishes next Friday.

Something tells us this is just a digital thing though, and people's "signatures" probably amount to nothing more than spelling out your name on a keyboard and hitting send.

Tony La Russa says the Red Sox had a good visit to Donald Trump's White House last month ... telling TMZ Sports they made the trip to show support for their country.

"The flag, anthem, White House," La Russa says ... "Anything that represents our government, we support."

Of course, some of Boston's biggest names decided not to go to 1600 Penn Ave. for political reasons ... guys like Mookie Betts and David Price, as well as manager Alex Cora, skipped it.

But, La Russa -- who's now the Sox's vice president -- says the guys that did go enjoyed it, saying, "Anything that represents the United States is a good experience."

Some boycotted, others didn't -- so, how did the Boston Red Sox players get along AFTER that controversial May 9 trip to Trump's White House?

... according to star outfielder J.D. Martinez, everyone handled it VERY well and haven't let politics destroy their clubhouse.

Remember, Martinez DID go to 1600 Penn a few weeks ago -- despite stars like David Price, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and manager Alex Cora opting to stay away to protest POTUS.

Martinez says the trip was "amazing" -- and claimed Donald gave the squad an "awesome" private tour of the Lincoln Bedroom, just as he promised.

The Sox won 3 out of their next 4 games after the White House visit -- and Trump took some credit for the hot streak.

But, things have cooled off ... Boston's 10-8 since the D.C. trip.

8:05 AM PT -- D.C. law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops believe Gupta was high on a drug called K2, which was laced with PCP.

We're told responding officers saw signs Gupta was hallucinating -- he also did not respond to their commands to roll over as they tried to extinguish him.

K2 is a synthetic THC, composed almost entirely of chemicals, which is banned in the U.S. There have been widespread incidents of people getting violent and delusional on K2.

5/30 5:05 AM PT -- The man died from his injuries Wednesday night in the hospital.

Authorities identified him as Arnav Gupta of Bethesda, MD. He was 33 years old and his family had reported him missing on Wednesday morning.

It's still unclear if Gupta had any specific motive ... however, cops in Maryland had said in a media release early Wednesday -- prior to his self-immolation -- that they were "concerned for Gupta's physical and emotional welfare."

12:09 PM PT -- According to the emergency dispatch audio -- obtained by TMZ -- the man suffered burns on 85% of his body. There was also a suspicious package on fire near the man which was extinguished.

11:35 AM PT -- A law enforcement source tells us the man was transported to the hospital with "life threatening" injuries.

A man set himself ablaze in a park near the White House and was only saved -- for the moment -- by cops who quickly surrounded and extinguished him.

The unidentified suspect was taken down by cops Wednesday afternoon in D.C. and he was fully engulfed in flames. It appears he might have had some sort of protective suit on because he was not collapsing as he strolled across the lawn with the Washington Monument in the background ... and less than a mile from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

You can see cops rushed in with extinguishers, and law enforcement tells us he was immediately taken into custody and rushed to a hospital. More than 70 officers swarmed the area from multiple agencies. Although several tourists were in the area ... no one else was injured.

The Secret Service is aware of the incident, saying some of their personnel are on the scene.

It is unclear what the man's condition is right now.

Story developing ...

President Trump is back to bashing Jussie Smollett and his criminal case in Chicago -- this time insinuating the real hate crime was against him and his supporters.

DT took to Twitter Saturday, and seemingly out of nowhere ... he brought up the Smollett case again, saying that on top of great incompetence and corruption, the Smollett case "is also about a Hate Crime." Doesn't sound like he's referring to the crime Jussie reported either.

The Prez went on to write, "Remember, 'MAGA COUNTRY DID IT!' That turned out to be a total lie, had nothing to do with 'MAGA COUNTRY.'" Trump ended his tweet by saying, "Serious stuff, and not even an apology to millions of people!"

At first glance, it would appear 45 could be referring to the alleged hate crime Jussie claimed to be a victim of -- but on a second read, it kinda sounds like Trump believes the true hate crime was against "MAGA COUNTRY" ... and, in effect, himself too.

You'll recall ... Jussie's criminal case was dismissed, which only cost him a few thousand dollars and some community service. Although the Cook County State Attorney's Office insisted their decision wasn't an exoneration, Jussie doubled down and maintained his innocence.

This ain't the first time Trump has brought up Jussie's case -- it's actually the third. He tweeted about it soon after Cook County cut him loose, and then used the "Empire" actor as a rallying cry in Wisconsin later the same day.

Robert De Niro took a good long minute out of his speech honoring his good pal, Al Pacino, to call for the removal and arrest of President Trump -- and his off-script moment drew mixed reviews.

De Niro was singing Pacino's praises Sunday at the American Icon Awards -- where the veteran actor was among 5 people honored ... Quincy Jones and Evander Holyfield were a couple of the others. Right as he was winding down his speech, though ... De Niro took the opportunity to remind everyone that he really, REALLY does not like POTUS.

He said Al, of course, was worthy of the Icon award ... but the only thing Trump should be getting at this point is impeachment and imprisonment. Check out the rant for yourself -- not necessarily as fiery as his "F**k Trump" moment at the Tonys ... but same message.

Anyway, as for how the Bev Hills crowd took his Trump pivot ... there were actually some boos. As Bob went on and on about DT, the audience seemed a little unsettled.

Herman Cain -- one of President Trump's close pals -- insists POTUS has done a lot for African-Americans, but says black people still hate him because the media's messing with their minds.

We got the business exec and ex-Republican presidential candidate leaving Reagan National Tuesday in D.C., and asked why he continues to stand in Trump's corner, through and through. Cain says he looks at results ... not perception.

For example, Cain says Trump's been doing a lot for the black community behind the scenes -- like pushing forward criminal justice reform and lowering unemployment rates -- but insists those accomplishments are overlooked due to skewed coverage. Or, as the Prez puts it ... fake news.

When asked point blank why so many black people seem to despise the President, Cain dropped the b-word. Yeah ... brainwashed. He tells us they've been brainwashed by the media they consume, which he suggests is anti-Trump.

Despite Tiger Woods recently coming to the White House to accept the Medal of Freedom from Trump, Cain says other athletes and celebs who've opted to ixnay any WH visits are also brainwashed -- and should stick to what they do best ... entertain.

Alyssa Milano's protest of Georgia's anti-abortion law is exactly the kinda political pressure that's needed ... according to Presidential candidate and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who's fully in her corner.

Rep. Gabbard was on "TMZ Live" Monday, and rallied behind Alyssa's call for a sex strike in the wake of Georgia's governor signing a bill that would ban abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected. It's now the 6th state to enact such a law.

While Alyssa's sex protest is drawing some backlash, Gabbard told us the actress is shedding light on a critical debate -- something she believes more people like Alyssa should be doing.

We also dug into a couple of the congresswoman's passions -- the environment AND surfing!

Hailing from the great state of Hawaii, Tulsi's all about catching waves -- has been since she was a toddler -- and doesn't even mind sharing 'em with sharks.

The Boston Red Sox are back ... and it's all 'cause of Donald Trump -- so says the President himself, who says it was White House visit magic that turned their season around!!

Of course, the Sox didn't get off to a great start this season -- they were just 2-8 in their first 10 games -- the worst opening record EVER for a team with 100-plus wins in the previous season.

But, Trump says their championship visit to the White House last week has changed everything -- saying, "Has anyone noticed that all the Boston @RedSox have done is WIN since coming to the White House!"

Boston has notched 3 straight victories since heading to 1600 Penn. Ave. last Thursday ... and now, Trump is claiming visits to the White House are an anti-curse!!!

"The White House visit is becoming the opposite of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated! By the way, the Boston players were GREAT guys!"

Teams haven't exactly been open to White House celebrations under Trump ... no NBA team has visited since he took office and even several Red Sox players themselves protested last week's trip.

But if the visits are now in fact good luck charms, could that change future champions' minds???

5/12 8:00 AM PT -- A Secret Service source tells TMZ, the motorcade did indeed stop for a minute as CHP officers assisted the injured deputy, who suffered minor injuries.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip through L.A. was almost interrupted by a driver who hit one of the local officers helping escort his motorcade -- we say almost 'cause the rest of the fleet kept on going.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a CHP officer on a motorcycle was broadsided Saturday while blocking traffic for Pompeo's motorcade, which was getting off the 405 freeway at the La Cienega exit. We're told a driver -- who was going about 20 MPH -- made an illegal U-turn and clipped the guy.

Video of the scene shows the officer lying on the ground and being tended to by fire personnel that responded. Our sources say the officer was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.

Meanwhile, we're told the rest of the motorcade continued on its way ... seemingly unaware of the accident that just occurred behind them. That, or they were in a hurry to get the SoS somewhere ASAP.

It appears the driver in question lost his bumper in the collision too, but got out of his car to survey the damage. It's unclear if any arrests were made on the spot.